Stollen is a traditional German fruit bread usually eaten at Christmas. It is thought to have originated in the city of Dresden in 1474. At that time, in preparation for Christmas, the use of milk and butter was forbidden, making stollen heavy and somewhat tasteless. In Dresden today, there are 150 bakers designated as official stollen bakers.

Ingredients:

½ cup golden raisins
¹/³ cup candied fruit, such as cherries, citron, orange peel, or lemon peel or a combination, chopped
¼ cup dried currants
¼ cup dark rum or apple juice
3¼–3½ cups all-purpose fl our
¾ cup fat-free milk, warmed (105°–115°F)
¹/³ cup + 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 package active dry yeast
¹/³ cup slivered almonds
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 large egg
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

Directions:

Combine raisins, candied fruit, currants, and rum in small saucepan and set over medium heat. Bring to simmer; remove saucepan from heat and let stand 30 minutes. Drain fruit, discarding liquid. Toss together fruit and ¼ cup of fl our in small bowl until coated.

Combine milk, 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar, and the yeast in large bowl of electric mixer, stirring to dissolve. Let stand 5 minutes.

Combine 3 cups of fl our, the remaining ¹/³ cup granulated sugar, the almonds, salt, and cardamom in medium bowl. Add fl our mixture, dried fruit mixture, egg, butter, and vanilla to yeast mixture and beat on medium-low speed until sticky dough forms.

Turn dough out onto well-fl oured work surface and knead, adding enough of remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Spray large bowl with nonstick spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm place (80°–85°F), until indentation made with your index fi nger remains, about 1½ hours (dough will not be doubled in volume).

Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Punch down dough in bowl; let rest 10 minutes. Turn dough out onto lightly fl oured work surface; roll into 9 × 15-inch oval. Fold dough lengthwise almost in half, allowing about 1 inch of bottom half to protrude. Transfer dough to prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let dough rise in warm place (80°–85°F) until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.

Remove plastic wrap. Bake until stollen is lightly browned and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, 25–30 minutes. Immediately sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.